GRT III – Drop-In Replacement Trigger

PublishedJuly 22, 2007

Finally a solution? We’ll see.. Have I mentioned that I don’t care for the Crosman and Gamo triggers? You know I have. They are stiff and have a tendency to be unpredictable. Both lines have some really accurate rifles. The Gamo 440 is a great gun and the Crosman G1 and 800x have a lot of potential given the gun is working right. But they all suffer from rotten triggers. I’d rather they keep the scopes and put a really nice trigger system in. Anyway, enough of my ranting.

There is hope however. I came across the following web site, http://www.charliedatuna.com/index.html. I don’t know how I got there, but I was pleased to find they carry a drop-in replacement for many rifles. I didn’t realize just how many rifles use the exact same design, but supposedly this trigger will simply drop-in all the following air guns.

GRT-III Trigger… yep, that’s all there is to it!

The GRT-III trigger blade will fit almost any rifle using the Gamo type trigger including:*

B-18/19’s

Beeman S-1

Cabela’s Outfitter Series (all)

Crosman Quest 800

Crosman Quest 1000

Crosman Phantom

Crosman G-1 Extreme

Daisy 130b

Gamo CFX series

Gamo Hunter all series (including the 1250)

Gamo Shadow all series

Gamo Recon

Gamo Nitro 17

Gamo 640 Carbine

Gamo (all late production rifles)

Meteor MK-6

Rapid MK-1

Remington Summit

Some QB models like the 88

Some other TF models

TF-25 ??

And some others.

*This data was pulled directly from their site..

Now the term “drop-in” can mean several things. In this case it is literally a “drop-in” procedure. They have detailed color instructions on their site and the process takes about 5 minutes if you know what you are doing. It took me 10 minutes the first time, but the second rifle was a snap.

GRT-III Trigger Installed in Crosman 800x

There is not much to this thing. It completely removes the trigger return spring that makes the original trigger so hard to pull and just relies on the internal spring on the sear for tension. I don’t have a gauge to measure the pull weight but it is light, almost too light. There are two adjustments. One is for the first stage and the second is for the second stage. There is a lot of information on their site that goes into great detail about how these triggers work.

GRT-III’s 2 adjustment screws

Now down to the nitty-gritty. I purchased 2 sample triggers. I installed one in my Gamo 440 and one in our test Crosman 800x. The difference was dramatic. My Gamo shoots like a dream now. In fact just two days ago I made an impossible shot at almost 90 yards. There is NO way I could have made that shot with the old trigger. The pull is very light and distinct and with a careful pull you can clearly feel the first and second stages of the trigger. I’m thinking .25″ groupings at 20 yards are now possible with this riffle. As for the Crosman 800x, the difference was equally dramatic. The groups reduced by more than half with the new trigger in the 800x. (I’m going to take another look at the Gamo 440 with this new trigger so keep checking the site for the article)

All in all, I’m very impressed with this new trigger. If you have one of these compatible rifles and you are looking for a better trigger that DOES NOT take ANY modifications to the original mechanism, then take a serious look at the GRT-III Trigger. However, when you add $32 to the cost of a $130 or $150 rifle, you may find that you’d be better served to get a BAM-B26 that has a great trigger right out of the box. I would not buy a new Crosman G1 with plans to purchase a GRT-III trigger, when there are choices out there with good factory triggers in the same price range.

9 Responses to GRT III – Drop-In Replacement Trigger

Isn’t the G1 a better value than the BAM-B26 after you consider the scope and mount you get with it for around $125 over the $140 for the BAM, and after the trigger for $32 your still only $17 more for the G1!

To tell you the truth the B26 is in a different class to the G1. The G1 took a lot of work to get .5″ groups at 20 yards. The B26 did it right out of the box, nearly with open sights. It is far less hold sensitive and has an exceptional trigger. You may pay a bit more for a B26 Combo, but you’ll have one heck of a setup when you are done.

Please don’t get me wrong, the G1 with scope is a heck of a combo and I recommend it as an entry level rifle.

What is the cheapest scope and mount you would put on a B26 since I just bought the G1 and could take it back!

I would like to have a rifle that would shoot very well at 20 yards with a variable scope for around $150 so that is why I thougt the G1 was a very good value especially over the first Storm 1000 that I had bought and had to return!

I would be willing to go a little higher in price but would expect a great improvement over the $125 rifle I have in the G1!

If $150 is your max budget, then stick with the G1 if it is shooting well. It looks like many vendors have raised the price on the B26. Do you have a preference in caliber? What type of shooting are you looking to do? I may know of something that work work better for you.

AirHead

FYI, PyramidAir.com has a very large selection of scopes. Take a look at the Leapers line. They are priced right, and work great.

40 yards is a bit of a stretch for any air gun to take a groundhog, but if that is your goal, you may want to take a look at the most recent review that I just posted to the site on the The TechForce® Contender 89 from Compasseco. I know that it is way out of your $150 price range, but it will give you the accuracy at 40+ yards so that head shots yielding one shot kills should not be a problem.

For now you may want to just stick with the G1 unless it does not give you the results you are looking for. For some added damage on your game, you may want to try the Gamo Pro Magnum pellets. I’m not sure how they will group in the G1 but they are heavy and should be more accurate at longer ranges.

I thought your post might have been abbreviated… and I’m glad that you’ve kept writing. This kind of exchange is helpful to our readers.

1″ in .177 at 20 yards is a very attainable goal. There are several rifles out there that can do this. I would recommend that you check B.B.’s Blog over at PyramidAir. ( http://www.pyramidair.com/blog ) He did a series of articles on “The best rifles under $100, $200, $300, etc.” He has a lot more experience with different guns than I do.

You may want to call the folks over at http://www.airgundepot.com or http://www.compasseco.com and talk to them directly. Both suppliers have been very helpful to me. From what I’ve been told, and it will be one of our next reviews, the TechForce 99 Magnum ($135 on sale from $169 at http://www.compasseco.com right now) gives you under lever cocking, fixed barrel accuracy, and delivers 1100 FPS in .177 (expect 900 to 1000 fps depending on pellet, 900 fps is what you are looking for and if you can get it with a heavy pellet, that will work best.)

In general, hunting with a .177 means you have to be an excellent shot or you will mostly just wound your game even if you use hollow point pellets, expecially something at big as a ground hog. Consider rather a hard hitting .22. In the long run I think you’ll be happier with it, but that is just my opinion. There are many excellet choices in .22 pellets, the RWS line is a good example.

I’m not sure about the Mendoza RM-2003. I have the RM-200 and it is one of the nicest rifles under $100. I’ve read conflicting on their other products so I’m not sure what to tell you.

Regarding “how hard are things things to shoot,” how have you done with the G1? Have you been able to get the groups you are looking for? I recently took a trip to see family and visited my nephew to which I gave a Crosman Sierra pro rifle. He was complaining that he could not get the scope adjusted, so I took a day and we all went shooting in their back field. After a while I was shooting sub 1″ groups at 25 yards with his gun. He could bairly keep 4″ groups at that distance. When I gave him the Contender 89 or the BAM B40 he shot 1″ groups with ease. The difference, weight of the guns, craftsmanship, and experience.

My brother in law, who is an excellent shot come to find out, took my Beeman GH950 a and dropped a red squirrel out of a tree 30 yards away while shooting from a standing position on his 2nd floor landing. He also took my rifles, and from a standing position, shot a 20oz water bottle at 65 yards when I couldn’t hit it. He has a lot of practice shooting in the woods without the benefit of a nice shooting table and rest so he just puts me to shame.

The bottom line, My nephew was able to shoot a quality gun from a rest accurately. My brother in law was able to shot a quality gun from any position. The common factor wast that they were both shooting quality guns. As much as I appreciate Crosman for providing low cost adult air rifles, if you get a good one, they still take a lot of skill to shoot accurately. When I shot the Crosman Sierra Pro and got the groups down to 1″, it took a lot of concentration and effort, something that you may not have time to do when the little critters are tearing up your yard and you want to dispatch them.

You mentioned Glock and AR… if you are a firearm guy you know there is a big difference between Hi-Point and Glock. They both may shoot 9mm, but one you could trust with your life and the other you may go and plink with but if given the choice would never grab it in a pinch when the other was available.

In the air gun hobby world $200 is really not a lot of money, but it is hard for folks new to the sport to justify spending $200, $300, $400, or more on a pellet rifle when a firearm in may cases costs less. I had the same problem when I started. But once you shoot a real quality air gun and realize that you don’t have to go to a range every time you want some trigger time, you’ll gain the appreciation for the sport and the guns.

I don’t know if I’ve helped or just confused you more, but I hope that this exchange has been helpful and useful for you.

Thanks for the trigger info….my #2 complaint about the G1. My #1 complaint is scope placement. I had to remove the rail stop and back the scope up another 2″ for comfort. My fault there….I was born without a neck.

My take on the G1’s range. I initially sighted in at 35 yds and was happy with 6″ groups relative to all the “fliers” I put downrange before establishing some semblance of trigger control. After another 50 rounds at 50 yds I’m doing 50% in 6″ shooting offhand.

Note this is my first break-barrel rifle and that I’m using Premier hunting hollow points. I’ve got an assortment of Diablos (for my Umarex B92FS) I’m going to try next weekend as well as pick up the ones you recommended from the G1 review.

After just 100 or so rounds, I’m pleased with the G1. I bought it because the local feral dog packs have begun to ignore my pistol. Not so with the G1 and it’s an all-new ballgame. I did a rear hip takedown on one critter at 30 yds and made another one jump my fence at 70 yds. If the G1 doesn’t make them put my property on their avoidance list, the .243 Winchester and shovel come out of their racks.

As I said, I’m pleased, but I’d have picked up the Gamo Big Cat 1200 if it had been in stock. My nephew’s BC12 shoots a bit sweeter than the G1.